Everett Woman Dies At Cedar Ponds; Sheriff Offers Water Tips

MONROE, WA - An Everett woman died this past weekend after falling into the water at Cedar Ponds, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. The woman has not yet been identified, nor has her official cause of death been confirmed.

The 28-year-old woman reportedly slipped and fell over the falls at Cedar Ponds Lake Saturday night, but due to dangerous conditions search and rescue teams were unable to retrieve her from the water until around 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

More than 35 volunteers helped with the search and recovery process, officials said Monday.

Despite increasingly spring-like weather across the region, water temperatures remain around 45 degrees, making any kind of water play a dangerous gamble.

At 45 degrees, falling into water could bring someone a mix of extreme cold and pain. The submerged victim could potentially lose all control of breathing, increasing the risk of drowning exponentially.

In 2018, Snohomish County Sheriff's search and rescue teams were dispatched to no fewer than five drowning deaths, including one involving a 22-year-old Monroe woman at the same location as the incident Saturday at Cedar Ponds. Teams responding to that incident had to wait 10 days before they could successfully extract the woman from the water.

Before getting into any body of naturally flowing water this spring, check out these safety tips from the sheriff's office:

• Always wear a life jacket when you are on the water. Never go near moving water without one.
• Beach logs, river banks and rocks near the shore are usually slippery. A fall can knock you unconscious and prevent you from being able to save yourself.
• Consider bringing a whistle. If you are in trouble, it could help alert nearby people.
• Keep kids within arm's reach. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under.
• Don't dive in. Two-thirds of catastrophic neck injuries occur in open water and the sea.

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